BETTER BACK OF HOUSE

Back of house costs for a restaurant can be the difference between success and failure. And creating a great team culture in your kitchen will help keep those costs in check. Let's explore four crucial back of house strategies that will help your front of house keep growing that revenue.

Always give your back of house team clear direction on how to improve spending and where they can save. Then establish milestones for better cost efficiency and track the progress for everyone to see. For instance, you can work to combat food waste by implementing weekly reduction goals. Once a milestone is reached, reward your staff’s efforts. When they hit a big goal, celebrate it and then set some new ones that the whole team can get excited about. Goal setting is an easy win-win for your kitchen and for your bottom line.

Investing in ongoing staff training is an investment in your restaurant. Back of house training is key for improving efficiency, food quality, and much more. Training isn’t just for new hires either. There are always new skills and techniques to learn, even for your most seasoned employees. A culture of learning will reduce turnover, nurture talent, and let's face it, train employees to make fewer costly mistakes. All of this directly impacts your bottom line, and the right training can help make that impact a positive one.

Back of house is often a high-pressure environment that needs a strong chain of command, but creating a space where meaningful dialogue can happen will build the strong culture you need to be successful. Be open to involving staff in problem solving, instead of simply imposing fixes. When you ask for their insights and ideas, they may surprise you with solutions that are better than what you were going to implement. And of course, when they feel heard they feel valued and put more pride into their work moving forward. A team that communicates well is naturally more efficient, which can lead to cost savings across the board.

Lastly, boost efficiency by tweaking your kitchen layout. Streamline workstations, position equipment strategically, and create dedicated work zones for each stage of food prep. Make every square inch count. Remember, as your menu evolves, your space may need to change too. What worked yesterday, may not work today. A fresh setup for the back of house can also bring new energy and even help solve other problems.

When implemented together, these four strategies make for a more efficient, profitable, and, dare we say fun, back of house. Your kitchen is the engine of your entire business, it’s worth putting in the time and effort to make it great.